Author: Danny Leitch

The following text is taken from our ebook – 10 signs spreadsheets are killing your finance function: #4 Amnesia SYMPTOMS: Last minute panic buying of birthday presents. Missed gym appointments. You hear ‘aren’t you meant to be somewhere else?’ more often than you’d like. Family members leaving curt messages on your answerphone. The school are… Read more →

Errors will happen. It is an unfortunate fact of life, whenever humans are involved with complex data manipulation and modelling, errors occur. A financial modelling manager needs to create an environment where any member of the modelling team can feel comfortable notifying them as soon as an error or mistake is identified. Having confidence in… Read more →

We have taught analysts from hundreds of companies to build financial models. Financial modelling proficiency requires skills that take time to acquire, develop and perfect. Sometimes the difficulties students have are related to how to build their model. More often, difficulties relate to what it is they need to model. Once the modeller understands how… Read more →

The article below is taken from our new ebook: Managing Modelling – How to run an effective modelling team – you can download the full ebook here. Modelling should be a collaborative team-based activity, not an individual activity. Building team spirit and a collaborative environment is fundamental to the role of a financial modelling manager…. Read more →

Building financial models is an inherently difficult and complex task. Most guidance on managing the model build process recommends a traditional life-cycle approach of Specify, Design, Develop, Test, Deploy. When applied to most financial modelling assignments this approach doesn’t work. It is too inflexible and relies on being able to fully specify the model at… Read more →

The deal was done many months ago, the sipping of champagne at financial close and the after deal party feel a very very long time ago. The financial advisors were long ago paid and disappeared off into the sunset. But for some in the project finance world, that is not the end. It is just… Read more →

This week you are invited to experience the highs (and lows) of being a model auditor and embark on a ‘find the errors’ exercise. Difficulty: Easy Prize: Free access to our new online course FAST Fundamentals and a limited edition F1F9 mug. Introduction The flexibility of excel, responsible in large part for its ubiquity in the… Read more →